The money of others

John Hinderaker and I wrote an essay on income inequality in 1995 and haven’t much looked back at the subject. We took our bearings from the proposition of Publius in the Federalist that the “first object of government” is to protect “the different and unequal faculties of acquiring property[.]” Now there is a revolutionary thought! The liberals’ appetite for income redistribution and animus against income inequality proceed unabated, arguably stronger than ever. Publius to the contrary notwithstanding, we’re obviously moving in a different direction under the force of a contrary doctrine.

The Claremont Institute’s Bill Voegeli has greatly advanced our understanding of the left’s insatiable appetite for the money of others in his book Never Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State. Bill devotes a few pages of the book to the subject of income inequality. In the summer issue of the Claremont Review of Books, however, Bill has a formidable essay/review considering two new books on the subject. It is a brilliant essay, one that will repay your time with understanding. In the new issue of the CRB, which we will be previewing next week, and on the Claremont Institute site, Voegeli continues the discussion with Timothy Noah, the author of one of the two books that are the subject of Voegeli’s review. For more on the general subject, don’t miss the interview with Harvey Mansfield in today’s Wall Street Journal.